The famous Bushfire Press Half Price Sale

Massive clearance sale
ex-display and ex-perusal stock –
50% off!
WHILE STOCKS LAST.
Offer closes 12th December.
All titles complete. Some with marked covers.

Late each year we have a bit of a cleanup around here. We find our display merchandise, the few returns we get from perusal requests, and some of the titles we may have a long hand in, and offer them to you at a fantastically reduced price.

This is your opportunity to stock up on music, dance and drama resources.

You can download the catalogue and order from our special half price sale price list.
(You can also find more about Christmas and end of year resources other specials offers in the catalogue).
You will soon see more about this here as well.

Know colleagues who may be interested? Tweet this!

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October Activity: Gamelan Music

This activity is from
Cool Cats Cross Arts Adventures Level 3

Gamelan music

The gamelan is the Javanese and Balinese orchestra.
It uses from a few to several dozen musicians, playing different melodic and rhythmic patterns on tuned and untuned percussion.
Find out more using the links at the bottom of this page.

Some examples of patterns can be heard on the audio file Gamelan Music.
Download scores and mp3 track below
The score and music are from
Cool Cats Cross Arts Adventures Level 3

Gamelan orchestra
Students in 8 groups
Using the score, students make a gamelan orchestra.
Groups 1 - 4 play tuned percussion instruments
using a 1 bar repeating pattern.
Groups 5 - 8 play untuned percussion instruments
using a 1 bar repeating pattern .

Try bringing the groups in one at a time .
Also - have a conductor bring the different groups in and out (except for groups 3 and 7 who must play ALL the time, to provide the pulse).

Students can invent their own 4 beat patterns.

You will find the mp3 track and the page from the book with the score here
and you can purchase Cool Cats Cross Arts Adventures Level 3 here

Know colleagues who may be interested? Tweet this!

Musical Instrument Repairs

Bill Vrijens is one of our great friends who always loans us his xylophones to record with.

He runs a small business called Musaics in Melbourne Melbourne, specializing in repairs, replacement parts and sales of tuned and non-tuned percussion instruments. This includes classroom xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels, hand-drums etc, that are usually thought of as belonging to the Orff instrumentarium, as well as concert xylophones, vibraphones, marimbas, timpani etc.

He also replaces the velum heads on banjo style instruments, which include banjos, banjo guitars, banjo mandolins etc.

Musaics is able to supply a range of replacement parts, including various rubber components, xylophone, vibraphone and marimba bars for any instrument, pins (for classroom instruments) etc. I also retune instruments, refurbish frames etc. Repairs to tympani include adjustments, to repairing or fitting tuning mechanisms, pedal mechanisms etc.

He often has a number of instruments for sale, both new and second hand. If you are looking for something in particular, feel free to contact him, or keep an eye on his site for some bargains.
He is also willing to purchase instruments, particularly if they are incomplete or in need of repair.

His web address is www.members.westnet.com.au/billv